By Benjamin Cuaresma
QUEZON CITY — Progressive alliance Bayan on Monday denounced the arrest of an estimated 35 to 40 protesters during demonstrations held alongside President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), accusing police of carrying out a premeditated operation to disrupt the peaceful assembly.
Bayan Secretary General Mong Palatino said most of those taken into custody were young demonstrators dressed in black, with some allegedly seated along the sidewalk when law enforcement personnel moved in.
“It appears the police came prepared to make arrests,” Palatino said, questioning the basis for detaining such a large number of protesters.
Police reportedly identified the arrested individuals as members of Vandals United, an allegation that Bayan rejected. Palatino stressed that the demonstration was being held inside a designated “people’s zone,” where various organizations had gathered under a coordinated and peaceful protest recognized by the local government.
“No matter what group they belong to or how they choose to express their protest, they have the right to peacefully assemble. The police had no legal basis to arrest individuals within our coordinated protest area,” he said.
Palatino maintained that rally organizers had properly coordinated the activity with the Quezon City government and that police were fully aware of the agreed protest arrangements.
He also questioned what he described as the unusual presence of personnel wearing Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) boots, saying it indicated authorities had anticipated making mass arrests.
“In all the SONA protests I’ve attended, this is the first time I’ve seen BJMP personnel apparently deployed in preparation for arrests. It gives the impression that the operation was planned to disrupt the demonstration,” he added.
Bayan said organizers were initially unable to determine the identities of those arrested because police allegedly barred them from approaching the detainees and refused to disclose where they were being taken or the specific charges against them.
The arrests temporarily disrupted the protest program, delaying its scheduled noon opening as organizers sought information about those taken into custody.
As of press time, the Philippine National Police (PNP) had yet to issue an official statement responding to Bayan’s allegations or explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrests.
ia/xf
